The team's other pillar player, forward Domantas Sabonis, hasn't played since Dec. 22 against the Indiana Pacers. He appeared to still be processing the news, saying that he hadn't been around the team enough during his injury to gauge their reaction to the change, but offered some thoughts on how Brown has impacted his career.

Brown’s firing was first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, who also reported that Doug Christie will take over as the interim head coach. Brown’s firing took place amid a five-game losing streak that saw Sacramento fall to a 13-18 record, which places them 12th in the Western Conference standings.